•Hi everybody: Now I'm trying to put in working condition a Carlton Wurlitzer player piano, so I'm asking if somebody can explain to me how works the mechanism of the top action which allows that the roll doesn't move to the left and the right, so the perforations can go exactly to the hole of the t...

•I am rebuilding a Polyphon 15.5-inch disc music box. It is a single comb mechanism, with the comb in front of the star wheel gantry. It is presenting two puzzles which may have a related answer. Most of you fellow MMD'ers have lots more experience with these than I do, so here goes. (Attached is a ...

•I am working on two Ampico B drawers and have a problem on both of them that has me befuddled. When the transmission goes into rewind, it begins winding and the shifter then slips a tiny amount out of rewind. This stops the roll action and begins a tick, tick, tick as the tips of the pins hit witho...

•The biggest cause of rolls tearing on rewind is the take-up spool brake, and/or lack of lubrication on the bearings of the take-up spool. With the lever set on rewind, (without a roll in place) test the take-up spool. It should spin freely. Disconnect the brake on the take-up spool. Yes, your rolls...

•Dr. Edgar Dilks, a friend of the late Mike Kitner, would like to sell his North Tonawanda Style 159 Band Organ (46 keys, bass drum, snare drum and cymbal). He is not a member of this group so I am posting this information which he provided to me. The organ is playing Wurlitzer style 125 rolls of wh...

•Michael Hamilton has a Pratt-Read player and is complaining about tempo changes due to pumping. He also asks if the roll brake plays a part in the tempo. This description doesn't give enough information to diagnose the real problem. As far as the hold-back brake, it should not affect the stability ...

•There are people who collect music boxes and band organs as investments. I contend that they are in the minority. Most are like me: they restore instruments because they love them. As an example, I was recently asked the value of a fire engine I own, a 1953 American LaFrance model 700 pumper. My ca...

•>> I am exploring the possibility of electrifying players using a method >> of vacuum sensing in order to feed a signal to a small programmable >> 240 VAC inverter, which in turn will regulate the AC motor. I am >> trying to find a component supplier that stocks sensors capable of >> monitoring neg...

•The large Imhof & Mukle weight-driven, barrel-operated orchestrion in the Sanfilippo Collection (previously in the Ashorne Hall Collection of the late Graham Whitehead) has an interesting feature that effectively allows for data compression. Among the keys for playing the notes, percussion instrume...

•Art, Your description of the Imhof & Mukle orchestrion barrel rotation speed is indeed fascinating; I had no idea it could be controlled in that manner. I'd think it would be difficult to regulate the slower speed by simply increasing friction. Is there a significant transition time as the air-brak...

•Hello Everyone, The primary reason I do not replace any rubber bands on piano rolls is because if they are not rewound tight, the rubber band causes a indentation in the center of the roll, and because removing the rubber band can often cause leader damage. If you still have a brake applied on the ...

•Hi all, On my player piano (probably a very late Aeolian, but no name anywhere) a few notes will only sound when pedaling very hard. The others all work fine. I figured this would mean to much bleed (if the bleed cups have become loose and are sucked out of the holes). Am I correct with this? As th...

•About the piano destroying the Art-o-rolls while rewinding, after several different e-mails from MMD readers one thing that came up more than once was the 'brake'. I had forgotten that my piano had a brake (two, actually!). After taking the front of my piano apart for easy access I removed and repl...

•A good home is sought for a beautiful calliope car. The car is a 1915 Model T Ford with a built-in calliope, built by Dave Miner, then the owner of Miner Manufacturing in Iowa. (He has recently passed away and turned over the company to a coworker.) The car is totally restored and the running gear ...

•Thanks to Bob Yorburg for his kind words. Bob's mention of an idler arm is worth considering if the belt is correctly sitting in the pulley and the system is still on the verge of slipping. One of those equations I still remember from my university days is T1/T2 = e power (mu*theta) What this means...

•Hello, Back in the 1970s and '80s Player Piano Company (PPCo) manufactured high quality music roll frames for "A" and "O" roll machines. I have seen many, and have generally found them to be very reliable. A client of mine here in Connecticut has one on an "A" roll build-up machine. Recently, the s...

•We have heard of this problem many times, but the solution is worth repeating. Speed has nothing to do with the damaging rolls on rewind. The damage on rewind is usually the fault of the brake on the take up spool. These brakes were originally placed to insure the rolls wind up snuggly. When the pa...

•I'm working on a Nelson-Wiggen spool frame (my first time). I hope this doesn't sound too much like a novice question or that I've missed something obvious. I've rebuilt the play/rewind unit and it seems to be working properly. When I test the unit with no roll, it moves smoothly from play to rewin...

•[ Ref. 131219 MMDigest, Gears Grind When Shifting To Play Mode ] Steve, Regarding your post to MMD, did you get any answers that solved your problem? I have a somewhat similar situation with the roll frame (possibly from an Autotypist) on my calliope. The difference is I can't get mine to go out of...

•I wonder if other Ampico owners have had the problem of the Play switch tending to slide away from the Play position and stop the roll. There doesn't seem to be enough friction to make it stay where it should be. I have looked carefully and found that the little friction brakes spring exerts force ...